The future is electric at Glendale
Students collaborate on working automobile that can travel estimated 15 kilometres per hour
It has the body of a Smart car, the battery from an electric golf cart and a charging station 3D-printed by students.
In January, a class of transportation technology students at Glendale Secondary School put the finishing touches on an electric vehicle (EV) they’d spent the semester building.
“Our role was putting all the electrical stuff and connecting it to the battery and all the systems in the car,” said Elizabeth Vanzanden, 17, of her group. “It included things like all the plugs put in place to keep it safe, all of the wires that went to all the functions, such as the throttle and the ignition.”
This was the Grade 11 student’s first time taking a transportation class, and she admits the learning curve was steep.
“We all took the challenge and ran with it,” she said.
The small, black EV travels about 15 kilometres an hour, with an estimated battery life of about three or four hours. A test-drive video tweeted by a vice-principal shows teacher Peter DeNew at the wheel as the car slowly rolls down the street outside the east Hamilton high school.
“The kids today, this is what they’re going to be dealing with,” said DeNew, who used to work in the auto industry.
Many parts, including the body, wheels and rims, were donated by people in the community, keeping costs to about $1,000. Many more had to be designed, measured and manufactured, either by students or outsourced to a company. Some parts, like the car’s charging station and mounting brackets, were 3Dprinted by students themselves.
Donated or manufactured, they all had to be assembled to make the EV.
“This is not a kit,” DeNew said. “We didn’t buy this from somewhere. We actually had to do all the problem solving.”
Time was a challenge, said student Jacob Downs, 17, who was in the group working to adapt the golf cart driveline to the EV.
“We were really close on time,” he said, noting that they submitted designs and measurements to manufacturers over the winter break, leaving less than a month to put it together before the end of the semester. “It was, like, when we get back we have to go, go, go.”
DeNew said his classes at Glendale, known for its visual and performing arts programs, are diverse, often drawing “unlikely” candidates.
When Rachel Elliott transferred to the arts school in Grade 9, she never thought she’d be interested in cars, let alone build one.
“I accidentally walked into this class and picked it not knowing what it was, and loved it,” said the 17-year-old, who worked on the body and developed logos for each group of students.
Yasmin Taslimi, 17, who had taken the class before, volunteered her time at lunch, helping with welding and the installation of brake lines. She says she’s considering pursuing a career in the industry after graduation.
DeNew said each semester builds on the last, with the current class working to perfect the model.
“Now that we’ve proved we can do it, we’re actually going to get … a real car,” he said. “It’ll look like a regular car … I think we’re going to get more advanced electronics to allow us to do a much better job.”